Working from trang chính prompted lots of change. Most notably, we no longer needed to lớn pay much attention to lớn what was happening to lớn the bottom half of our wardrobe.

I only recently discovered a hidden downside from that trend. Getting ready for a recent public, in-person sự kiện, I went to lớn put on high heels and found my feet couldn't fit into my shoes. This surprised u. Why? My weight hadn't changed, and I am certainly not getting any taller! A podiatrist friend explained how your feet could adjust to lớn the type of shoes you wear, and ví over time, my feet had broadened.

Of course, as children, we are used to lớn our feet growing. But as we get older, our shoe size usually remains the same. And on occasions, we may find a shoe style we lượt thích ví much that we buy multiple pairs or feel sad when our favourite shoes are beyond repair and need throwing away.

All of this is a lovely metaphor for careers. Just lượt thích shoes, you don't want to lớn throw away, you can become too comfortable. You can shy away from shifting your style and trying something else, and therefore miss out on an experience that could be pivotal in your career.

You can hold on to lớn a career identity that is no longer serving you. This situation often arises when someone is trying to lớn leap to lớn a different career.

For example, if you are a specialist who is known for their technical expertise, and you want to lớn lead large teams, you'll need to lớn build your positioning as a leader. If you are a corporate leader and you want to lớn start a small business you may need to lớn get comfortable with an internal shift in how you see your career. Likewise, if you are moving to lớn a role with less responsibility and profile.

We all have an identity that we associate with our career, and that identity at times needs to lớn change.

You can think of your career identity as lượt thích shoe shopping. Not all the shoes you try on will feel lượt thích a good fit or feel lượt thích you. But, over time, you'll eventually find the right fit and style. It takes time. Keep trying on more shoes, and remember that sometimes the initial discomfort goes away when you wear them for a bit longer.

However, if you are finding the discomfort isn’t going away, ask yourself: Do I need to lớn wear the shoe for longer, or am I trying to lớn wear a shoe that doesn't fit?

You need to lớn select the shoe that works for you – that aligns with your purpose, values and who you are. Don't let the market, other people’s expectations or what's in fashion dictate the style, colour or size you select. If you tự, you'll over up becoming something you don't want to lớn be - losing your sense of self. Research from Kellogg University shows that when you stop being your authentic self, it causes psychological distress, which can have ongoing emotional and physical ramifications. So, in the words of Oscar Wilde: "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken".

Now’s a perfect time to lớn tự some work on this. I’d encourage you to lớn phối aside time to lớn reflect on your career identity ví you can determine what's working for you or what might need to lớn shift. To help you tự that, here are some key questions to lớn answer:

Understanding your career identity is about understanding how you see yourself, as well as how people see you. It’s a critical part of career success because when there's a disconnect between the two it impacts how people connect and relate to lớn you, as well as how you feel about yourself.

Getting you ready for tomorrow, today®

Michelle Gibbings is bringing back the happy to lớn workplace culture. The author of three books, and a global keynote speaker, she’s on a mission to lớn help leaders, teams and organisations create successful workplaces - where people thrive and progress is accelerated.